WABB (AM)
 |
|
| City of license | Mobile, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Branding | NewsTalk 1480 WABB |
| Slogan | "Mobile's News/Talk Leader" |
| Frequency | 1480 kHz (AM) |
| First air date | June 19, 1948 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts (day) 4,400 watts (night) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 70656 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°43′11″N 88°04′16″W / 30.71972°N 88.07111°W |
| Callsign meaning | "Alabama's Best Broadcasters" |
| Owner | Dittman Broadcasting (WABB-FM, Inc.) |
| Website | wabbam.com |
WABB (1480 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Mobile, Alabama. The station, established in 1948, is owned by Dittman Broadcasting and the broadcast license is held by WABB-FM, Inc. WABB broadcasts from midtown Mobile's Springhill Avenue, its home since 1969, after leaving its former Government Street studio in downtown Mobile.
Contents |
[edit] Programming
WABB broadcasts a talk radio format featuring a line-up of primarily nationally syndicated conservative talk programming along with some locally-produced programs.[1] Some of the personalities on WABB-AM include national hosts such as Laura Ingraham, Michael Smerconish, Lou Dobbs, and Jerry Doyle. WALA-TV's morning newscast is simulcast weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.[2] WABB was the radio home of Mobile's minor league baseball team the Mobile BayBears from the 2001 through the 2006 seasons.
[edit] History
WABB began broadcasting at 1480 kHz on June 19, 1948, when it was owned by the Mobile Register under call letters meaning "Alabama's Best Broadcasters" and had a country music format.
Shortly after owner Bernie Dittman moved to Mobile from his native Ohio to join his father J.W. at the station, Top-40 music became the new format.[3]
WABB had an FM simulcast from the very beginning, starting with 107.9 MHz and later 102.1 MHz until it was discontinued in the 1950s. The current WABB-FM (97.5 FM) signed on for the first time on February 5, 1973 with the song Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again by Bob Dylan.[4] WABB-FM was originally a simulcast of its sister station before moving toward the format of album oriented rock.
When WABB-FM made the move to its current contemporary hit radio format in 1984, the AM station continued to play Top-40 music. Eventually, the economics of AM radio in the United States meant a move away from music and the station adopted a talk radio format.
WABB's longtime owner, president, and general manager Bernie Dittman died on October 25, 2006, after suffering from a stroke the previous week.[5] Dittman's daughter Betsey succeeded him after relocating to Mobile from Chicago, Illinois.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/station_information.htm. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "WABB plans changes on both AM, FM". Mobile Press-Register (Mobile, Alabama). April 10, 2007. "On WABB-AM 1480, at 5 a.m. Wednesday, the news-talk radio station will unveil its two-year partnership with WALA-TV10's news department. From 5 until 8 a.m. weekdays, WABB-AM will simulcast the television station's morning newscast."
- ^ "People: Radio". Media Life. http://www.medialifemagazine.com/ml/ac/pp103006.asp. "Dittman owned WABB-AM since 1959, adding WABB-FM in 1973."
- ^ "Bernie Dittman Passes Away". Radio Monitor. October 26, 2006. http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4484342-1.html.
- ^ "WABB's Dittman Dead At 79". Radio Ink. October 31, 2006. http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=135625&pt=archive. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ Holbert, Rob (November 8, 2006). "Media Frenzy". Lagniappe Mobile. http://www.lagniappemobile.com/article/562. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
[edit] External links
- WABB official website
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WABB
- Radio-Locator Information on WABB
- Query Arbitron's AM station database for WABB
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
